PhD Position in Critical Heritage Practices: Archaeobotanical Collections

Department

Faculty of Arts

Organisation

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, University of Groningen, V25.0423

Job description

Do you want to challenge prevailing narratives and contribute to new, ethical approaches to heritage management and knowledge production? This project presents an opportunity for a PhD candidate to critically engage with the archaeobotany collections housed at the University of Groningen. Situated within global conversations on critical heritage practices, the study will reimagine how university collections interact with power, knowledge, and ongoing processes of heritagization. The candidate is encouraged to develop new methodologies that center community-led, ethical, and innovative approaches to curation, preservation, and/or interpretation.

The vast archaeobotany collections of the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) are from diverse countries and exist in varying states of organization, posing challenges related to administration, unstable storage conditions, and spatial constraints. Beyond logistical concerns, these collections raise critical questions regarding ownership, colonial legacies, and potential restitution, issues that have yet to be systematically addressed within the institute. The successful candidate will critically analyze the historical and contemporary dimensions of this collection, developing frameworks for responsible management, curation, accessibility, and engagement with communities. This position offers an opportunity to contribute to the ongoing discourse on heritage justice within the ambit of critical heritage studies, while proposing strategies for ethical collection management.

Expanding Perspectives on Human-Environment Relations as well as interdisciplinary work on heritage justice and ethical stewardship showcase broader academic and societal developments that make this project particularly timely. These growing interdisciplinary intersections together with advances in scientific methodologies that have transformed the study of, and interest for bioarchaeological remains, makes the PhD project highly relevant across multiple academic domains.

Although the botany collections must serve as a central foundation for the research undertaken, the precise direction of the project remains largely open and will be shaped by the expertise, interests, and disciplinary background of the selected candidate. This flexibility ensures that the research aligns with broader discussions on heritage ethics, institutional accountability, and knowledge redistribution, contributing to contemporary academic and societal debates.

Candidates are invited to submit a two-page research proposal outlining a potential analytical approach for this position. While the scope is not restricted to predefined topics, proposals may engage with the following:

- Rethinking University Collections Through the Lens of Critical Heritage Studies
- Decolonial Directions in Heritage and Cultural Knowledge
- Interrogating Archaeological Collections Within the Third Science Revolution
- Reconceptualizing Research Methodologies in Heritage and Collection Studies

Candidates from diverse backgrounds—including heritage studies, museum studies, anthropology, history, digital humanities, environmental humanities, and archival research—are encouraged to apply. The ideal candidate is someone who excels in collaborative work and who will actively participate in GIA events as well as be responsible for organizing outreach activities. They will have the opportunity to conduct a limited amount of teaching and gain valuable teaching experience. The candidate is expected to complete the PhD project in the specified timeframe (4 years).

Organisation
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

Requirements

To be competitive for the position, prospective candidates must have:

- A Master’s degree in a relevant humanities or social science discipline (e.g., Cultural Studies, Heritage Studies, Geography, Environmental Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Indigenous Studies, Archaeology).
- Training and experience conducting social-scientific fieldwork (quantitative and/or qualitative research methods).
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- An excellent command of written and spoken English.
- Good academic writing skills.

The following would be assets:

- Familiarity with collections, more specifically bioarchaeological or museal collections.
- Experience with dealing with difficult (incomplete/demanding) datasets.
- Capacity to convincingly connect concepts and theory to tangible heritage.
- General knowledge of (bio)archaeological subdisciplines.
- Previous work on cultural heritage and/or public archaeology.

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 48 months.

We offer in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement for Dutch universities:

- A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After 11 months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
- A salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, with a minimum of € 3.059 to a maximum of € 3.881 (salary scale P) gross per month for a full-time position.
- 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
- Participation in a pension scheme for employees.
- Favourable tax agreements for non-Dutch applicants may be applicable.
- The PhD candidate is expected to conduct 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
- Willingness to move and reside in the Netherlands.

Job Application

Do you want to become a member of our team? Please send your application to us, by submitting the following documents in English: - Motivation letter - Curriculum Vitae, including list of grades - Contact information of two academic referees - Copy of diploma. If candidates are still studying for their Masters, a written statement from the supervisor is required commenting on performance and expected date of completion. - 2 page research proposal - Writing sample (for example a published work or MA thesis in the English language) Please note that incomplete application packages or applications sent by email will not be taken into account. If necessary – because of the limited upload options, please combine different documents into one pdf. You may apply for this position until 1 September 11:59pm / before 2 September 2025 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the (Re)Master thesis, and one for all other documents). Please submit the merged application under the ‘Letter of motivation’ and the thesis under ‘Extra attachment’. The selection interviews will take place in the last week of September 2025. The selected candidate is expected to start in January 2026. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications. The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/ Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code We provide career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Additional information

For additional information, please contact:

Dr Mans Schepers
[email protected]

Dr Shanade Barnabas
[email protected]

Carl de Boer, for questions regarding the submission procedure
[email protected]

In your application, please always include the job opening ID V25.0423

Digital application form